Destiny: A Hunter's Novel, Book 3

by Lilly, Felicite

  He is going to kill you. You have no idea the state he’s in.

  I didn’t say anything that bad. But it’s going to get better.

  Alewar turned his body to stand between Az and I.

  So the Land of the Unknown, eh?

  What can I say? These are where my roots start.

  Why am I not surprised?

  Do you know Mastema’s plans?

  Yes. He is going to kill you…unpleasantly. He reincarnated me to get to Azrael. He knows I am connected to Azrael in a way nothing else is. It was the fastest way to find him, and thus, you.

  At least I knew how Alewar fit into everything. He was a means to an end. I didn’t think that bringing up Serafine would’ve brought this kind of hate for me that it had in Mastema. I fully understood his pain and the way in which he let it engulf him. Dealing with loss and moving on was harder than letting the pain take you.

  He is, literally, right behind me. We only have a few moments.

  Protect Azrael with your life.

  I knew Alewar understood what I was asking of him: If I wasn’t there to protect my heart, then he needed to do it.

  I will, always.

  Thank you.

  Anything for you, Princess.

  Good. One last thing then.

  I slid the red collar on his head and he huffed, but said nothing. I shook my head and laughed. I found Azrael’s eyes warmly taking me and Alewar in. I didn’t know if he had heard any of what we’d just said but his love was plainly written on his face. What I wouldn’t do for him. And the simple fact of it was there wasn’t a thing I wouldn’t do. I gave him a small smile and patted Alewar on the head.

  Alewar barked at the open field. I followed his line of sight to a gaping hole that had been torn in the air. I could see the darkness and feel heat pouring out of it while I stood a good one hundred and fifty feet away from the opening. Demons of all kinds began pouring out of the tear. I thought I’d been ready for whatever Mastema had up his sleeve, but I was not.

  There were so many Demons coming out of the hole, it made it look like an ant colony converging on a piece of bread left on the ground. Unfortunately, my people and I were the bread. There were Demons that I’d seen before and could identify, then there were a ton I had never come into contact with before.

  There was a Demon that looked a lot like the spider/clown I’d seen in the water in Hell. It had a hairy black spider body and the head of a shark. There were also ones with spider bodies and heads of clowns. Then the truly terrifying ones: the ones that shifted. I watched as one Demon shifted into me with the same hair, eyes, face and body. Oh, we were in deep shit. If we couldn’t decipher the good guys from the bad, then how in the world would we be able to fight?

  “What is that?”

  Az followed my line of sight to where I stood, only it was Demon me. His eyes widened minutely.

  “Never seen it. Must be a new one.”

  “Are new ones normal?!” I shrieked.

  “Nope.”

  Az’s eyes assessed the Demon that looked like me.

  “The fingernails. It’s the difference between us and them.”

  The Demons fingernails were long and purple. Deciding that out of all the Demons I hadn’t been able to identify this was one of the most dangerous ones. I turned to those around us and told them to pass it on however they could.

  I’d told the group standing in front of Serafine, as well. She was still crouched down. I peeked through and saw her nod at me. She’d heard me.

  As I watched them further come out of the tear, the cacophony of Demons finally stopped. And then turned and knelt like the Pope was about to arrive. Mastema stepped out of the hole. Instead of keeping his real form, he’d opted for Jensen Ackles again and I was confused as to why. I thought he would want to incite fear in his opponents. I was immediately suspicious.

  He nodded down to his followers and they stood. I imagined he was speaking to them telepathically.

  “Ah, my dear Delaney and Azrael. Good to see you again. Friends,” Mastema had raised his arms, as though he had given this same speech a thousand times before, “I have no fight with you. My fight is with this one.” He pointed directly at me and before he finished I already knew what he was going to do. “Fight with me and I offer you protection.”

  In an unimaginable moment, Serafine’s mother stepped forward.

  “Says the Devil. Why should we trust you? You thrive on lies, pain and deceit.”

  “That is true, but although I am the ruler of Hell, I am also a Demon of my word. Unlike some.”

  Mastema was looking right at me. He was trying to discredit me. This flock of supes I’d gathered didn’t know me but they’d grown up with the Prophecy and I’d hoped it was enough. Alewar growled menacingly.

  I looked behind me, half expecting to see those around me gone. No one had moved. My heart swelled for the kindness and faith they had shown me.

  Mastema swept his hand across the sky and I could see his dark and menacing magic. Everyone froze. I turned to see everyone unmoving, not even breathing. I moved my hand in front of my face, I was still moving. Then in less than a blink Mastema stood in front of me.

  Mastema took a lock of my hair and rubbed it between his fingers.

  “I have done nothing to deserve your loathing. I had hoped we could be friends.”

  “Oh, you deserve it. You killed Alewar and who knows how many other innocents.”

  “That heart of yours is the problem. Calling a Hellhound innocent. It’s laughable. Ha, ha, ha.”

  He laughed exaggeratedly and insincerely.

  “All in the eye of the beholder?”

  Mastema immediately sobered serious and studied me.

  “If you join me, I will spare all the lives that will be lost today.”

  “You know I can’t do that.”

  “I did not. I’ve never asked so how could I know?”

  Mastema snapped his fingers and was back on his side of the open field, standing with his people. I had to give Mastema credit, he could’ve just killed me without effort, but he was giving me a fighting chance.

  I looked around and everyone was moving again. I shook my head, wondering if I’d imagined the conversation I’d just had with Mastema. I knew I hadn’t from the smirk I could see from a mile away…literally.

  “Perhaps, Mastema, only you and I should fight. Leave your minions out of this and my people. Let the battle be between us, as it should be,” I said loudly enough so everyone could hear me.

  This was the first part of my plan. The part I hadn’t shared with Azrael. I knew he wouldn’t agree to it, but I also knew he wouldn’t argue with me while we were standing against Mastema. I knew if I could fight Mastema alone it would spare lives lost. If I lost just my own it was just one life for so many. However, I also knew I had Serafine and was hoping that she would be the shock I needed.

  “Oh, sweet child, they’ve chosen to stand with you. So let them.”

  I had anticipated he’d say that. I wasn’t expecting him, especially after he’d asked those standing with me to step down and they’d said no, to allow the fight to be between just us. We would battle.

  “Very well.”

  And then in a show of everything we had planned, the strongest witches separated from the convergence of supes, and we sang a spell.

  “Avahche, suveche, marista newhak.” Our hands were raised to the sky. Asking for the earth to hold those that stood against us back, to allow us the moments we needed to converge on them. I could tell the Demons were unable to move and panicked about that fact. My people, the ones not helping with the spell surged forward. Everyone else kept their arms up but I lowered mine and urged the fight on.

  I caught Mastema’s gaze and held my eyes to his. I pulled my blades from my back and flipped them around me, in a show that I was ready for him. He moved forward, completely unaffected by the spell we’d woven. As he walked it was as though the spell that we’d pushed at them was broken by
each step he took. His Demons moved towards my soldiers and collided with thunderous hits to each other.

  I studied the Witches, who were sweating with the effort to hold the spell in place. The one standing closest to me, Mina, who’d helped purge the dark magic from me, spoke.

  “Do we go?”

  “Yeah, higher ground. Stick to the plan.”

  When she dropped her hands, it was as though a string had been cut, each set of hands dropping as though in a reverse wave. All of the others followed and they moved to higher ground, one close to my Granddad’s house pulled himself onto the roof. Resourceful.

  The group that shielded Serafine still stood strongly surrounding her. I could tell the Witches around her had an invisibility/avoidance spell of some sort going because the Demons and those fighting around them weren’t interested in or touching them.

  I focused on Mastema again. There was a circle around where he walked as though those around him had been pushed out, by power or aversion I didn’t know, but it followed him all the way until he finally stood in front of me.

  Alewar and Azrael were fighting a shifter Demon near where I stood toe to toe with Mastema. Azrael was fighting himself, was more accurate. I could easily tell the difference, though. Azrael stood without a scratch and the shifter Demon had chunks taken out of his legs and torso. I could tell by the blood on Alewar’s face that it had been his doing.

  Az saw me standing with Mastema. It was mere seconds, but he made a move to come toward me, and Alewar blocked him. I could tell there was a silent argument going on between the two of them. The Demon had come up behind Az and in a swift movement Alewar was on it. Az helping him a second later. I knew they’d be busy for a little while.

  “I will gut you and soak up your screams,” Mastema whispered in my ear.

  I swung my blade next to my ear and stepped back in a fighting stance, my tall black army boots easily finding purchase, nicking Mastema as I did so.

  Mastema put his hand to his chin and pulled it away. He shook his fingers, trying to rid himself of the black blood there. I looked at his chin and saw the blackness seeping out of his chin onto the ground. The earth didn’t soak it up though. As his blood dripped, it moved into a single puddle and moved around near him, following him like a lost dog. The ground even refused Mastema. I hoped he would become the leader I knew he could be.

  “Touché little Prophecy. I underestimate you at every turn.”

  “Common error.”

  “I try to learn from my mistakes.”

  I watched in shock, and a little bit impressed, as two blades slid out from under his skin and looked as if they were made from his own bone.

  He came at me with his bone swords in hand and not another word. He sliced down at me from right and left in a blur. So fast I had two bloody cuts on my arms and hadn’t even felt the sting. I moved as quickly as I could, blocking his hits as well as taking some in the process.

  In a split second decision that would probably haunt and stay with me for the rest of my life, I decided to allow Mastema’s power to seep into me. I touched it apprehensively but decisively – since I didn’t have time left for anything else.

  I could feel the dark magic, welcoming its warm embrace. It felt both like coming home and going to Hell. It was remarkable and horrifying. I knew it wasn’t a good idea, I had been through hell and almost died the last time I’d touched dark magic, but some decisions weren’t made to be easy. The awe was followed by excruciating pain but I fought the pain and controlled it.

  I grabbed the thread of power and let it lead me to what I needed. I pulled back until the blur that was Mastema and I slowed to a normal speed. Everything outside of us froze and I figured that was Mastema’s doing. So while the world stood still we fought and parried back and forth at a normal speed.

  Mastema stabbed out at me. His sword hit my right shoulder, staining his white bone with my crimson blood. I felt the burn of the cut but pushed past it. I wondered if I could slow down enough to get a good hit in on him. I pulled time to make Mastema slow further, and I brought my foot up, pushing him to the ground.

  Once he hit the ground, I jumped over him so I was standing straddling his prone form and held my blade to his throat. I then let the time go, still yielding his power, and pushed the world to speed up again. I felt weary from having held the dark magic, but it was worth it.

  “I see you finally caved to the darkness.”

  “I took yours on loan. I’ll give it back.”

  “Not what I was talking about.”

  “The book, right.”

  I wondered if he was simply letting me hold him in place with my sword, just so he could converse with me, or if he was as worn down as I was. From the glint in his eyes and the smirk on his face I could tell he was simply laying down, I wasn’t holding him there.

  I also wondered how long the dark magic would mark me. I thought I had beaten it back completely but I suppose, like falling in love for the first time, it would never really leave me.

  “Yes, the book. What little secrets did you learn.”

  “None I’m willing to share…with anyone.”

  “Interesting. I thought your buddy Kai would have talked you into seeing things his way.”

  I pushed the tip of my blade into the skin under his chin.

  “I know who my friends are.”

  “Do you really? Do you really believe all these people surrounding you are friends?”

  I knew he was trying to instill doubt in me and it was working.

  “No, but they will stand with me against you.”

  “To what end Prophecy?”

  I laughed. I wanted to tell him the truth: that I needed Tema back, that I needed to get rid of Mastema. But I needed Serafine to show at the right time. I hadn’t signaled her yet.

  “For that exact thing: the end.”

  “You can’t remove me.”

  He thought I had taken Kai’s advice.

  “Who said I wanted to?”

  Mastema grabbed my leg, flipping me forward, and as my blade sliced a jagged hole into his neck, I fell face first onto the grass. I never saw it coming. I only felt his weight on my back, his knees if I had to guess.

  “You will kiss the ground I walk on, and follow me where I want you to follow me.” He flipped me over onto my back. “Then pray for mercy when I skin you.”

  “What good will it do? To what end?” I coughed out, now that my lungs were expanding again, free from Mastema’s crushing weight.

  I never saw it coming. I thought Mastema would want to draw out my pain, torture me as he promised. I thought if he was going to kill me, it wouldn’t be quick. But that was just it – Mastema was unpredictable. He slid the blade between my ribs with precision, a precision that only came with practice.

  I could tell by the shortness of breath I was feeling, the excruciating pain and the metallic taste in my mouth, he had punctured my lung. I was drowning in my own blood. I couldn’t move because the bone blade had come out of my back and pinned me to the ground.

  Mastema bent down next to me, putting his mouth next to my ear.

  “To whatever end I want. Don’t forget Delaney, I’m still the architect of the only world you know.”

  And as I lay dying I knew the Black Shadow had been his doing. I had my suspicions but with that simple phrase, a phrase I had heard out of the Shadow’s mouth, I knew my suspicions were true. I had no idea how or why, but he had been behind the Shadow’s presence in my life. He had tried to control me for years, and I had rebelled accordingly. I guess it could’ve been worse. I could’ve been raised by Mastema himself.

  I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him to me, he came toward me easily and I knew he did so willingly. I stopped pulling once his ear was next to my lips. There was frothy red blood coming out of my mouth and nose.

  “My nightmares, maybe, but my world? No...”

  My vision was dimming and I couldn’t hold a thought or word. I saw the flash of Se
rafine’s red hair and knew she must’ve been watching us. I could hear everything but could only see the red of Serafine’s hair and the darkness of Mastema’s form.

  “What have you done?!” Serafine screeched.

  I felt my head lift and warmth engulf me as Serafine’s red hair covered my face.

  “Please, if you ever loved me – save her. Bend time. If you don’t –”

  “You’re dead. You can’t be here. You. Are. Dead.”

  My head was placed carefully on the ground. My vision had cleared again but the darkness still lurked. Serafine moved to Mastema and put her hands on his face.

  “Does this feel real?”

  “How?”

  “I was her Angel. Save her Tema. Save her …”

  “You’ve been with the Angels this entire time?!” He roared, so loudly I felt the ground shake under me. His reaction reminded me of Michael’s when he’d found out his sister had been with the Angels. Angels didn’t have many fans, how odd.

  “If you don’t save her all is lost. We’ll never be able to have an argument about this if you don’t go back and stop this, right now!”

  I watched, gasping for breath, as a darkness moved toward Mastema, engulfing him. I thought I had seen darkness before, but nothing was quite as dark as that darkness. I saw it reach into his chest and pull a tiny light out. His final bit of good. The final bit of his soul.

  A soulless Mastema ruling over Hell would bring the world pain and evil worse than ever before. Serafine had told me that, but I had a hard time grasping the thought until that moment. Mastema dropped to his knees. I closed my eyes, unable to watch what I knew was happening: my final chance being pulled from Mastema.

  I heard my heart beating in my ears. Then I lost my breath and heard rushing. I felt weightless and free. I easily opened my eyes to puffy whiteness. It wasn’t like the harsh white light I’d seen when Nolito had pulled me into his dream meeting.

  I felt as though I was in a Glamour shot. This was a welcoming white. A white filled with warmth and comfort, not wrath and loathing. I looked down and saw that I was in white robes, held together by a gold rope at the waist. They were a bit too Roman for my tastes, but comfortable.

  “Goodnight. You do look like me.”